The penny finally drops
by marivon
Summary: Set a week after Chloe realizes Lucifer is gone. She decides to stop acting like a lovesick puppy and to investigate his disappearance in a professional way. And the penny finally drops!
1. Chapter 1

Chloe decided that enough was enough. It had been exactly a week since she'd been released from hospital, a week since she had driven over to Lucifer's penthouse to find all of its contents covered up and him gone. Vanished.

'Stop behaving like a lovesick teenager and start behaving like a detective, damn it!' she whispered to herself as she stepped out of the shower. She was still quite weak from the poisoning ordeal and slept long hours despite her heartbreak. However, Lucifer would not leave her alone in her sleep. All she dreamed about was him. They were all kinds of dreams, the two of them solving cases together, sharing a meal (they still had to get to the end of a meal together in real life!), dreams of intimate and crazily sexy moments together and then there were dreams in which she relived scenes from the past: how she had once nearly believed his crazy story that he was immortal and shot him, how distraught he had been after Father Frank's death, the night they had danced away together when he thought he would lose Lux…

'Are you OK in there, Chloe?' Maze asked through the bathroom door. Ever since Chloe had returned home, Maze had been thoughtful in everything she did around the house. When Dan was on shift, Maze would pick up Trixie from school and she had even started cooking. Mind you, the food was nearly inedible but Chloe appreciated the effort. She had believed Maze when she'd told her that she didn't know where Lucifer had gone. She could see that Maze was missing him, too.

'Yes, Maze. Thank you. I'll be out in a minute' said Chloe as she started getting dressed. For the first time since the poisoning, she also put some foundation on her face and retraced her eyebrows. A touch of mascara and she felt like she was starting to look a bit more like her old self.

When Chloe sat down at the island in the kitchen, Maze gave her an approving smile and pushed a plate towards her. The slices of toast on it were not burnt today - a first!

'You look better, mommy' Trixie piped up and Chloe turned to give her daughter a long hug.

'Thank you, monkey. I feel better. Perhaps Maze could take you to school so I can do a few things that have been bugging me?' Chloe shot Maze a quick glance and Maze nodded in agreement.

As soon as Maze and Trixie had left the house, Chloe turned on her laptop and pulled out her phone.

'Thinking hat on, detective' she said as she took a deep breath. She was scared what she would find but she needed more information. She needed to know.

Forty-five minutes later, she knew that Lucifer had deactivated the SIM card on his mobile phone about two hours after she had last seen him and that his number had not been active since. So there was no GPS signal to follow that could give her a clue as to where he had gone. That was not what she had expected. She had expected him to act rashly and leave a breadcrumb trail for her to follow.

She felt despair taking over her insides but then, all of a sudden, she forced herself to remember their last conversation. He had looked at her with concern and affection, of that she was sure, but he had been vague in his words. In fact, he had not agreed that they should continue where they had left of and he had not said that they would talk later when she had suggested that. Lucifer, who was so vocal about everything, had been quiet and non-committal. Why?

He had been holding her hand when she woke up and those hazel eyes of his said so much more than words. But he had said she should concentrate on getting better and then had disappeared. If he had not explained himself it meant that he thought she would not understand - just as he had told her when he had tried to get himself killed in an attempt to get punishment for something that he felt guilty for but would not share with her - and that he thought it was best for her not to know what was going on in his life.

'Damn you, Lucifer! And here I was thinking that you were finally going to let me in!' Chloe said out loud into the empty apartment. She had foolishly thought she she had all the time in the world to make him understand that she was truly there for him and that she wanted to know everything that went on in his life. Everything behind this persona he had created for himself. She really wanted to know _him_.

And then: ' _Did you know? Did you know all this bloody time?_ ' he had asked her in a voice filled with anger and despair that fateful night as he had stormed into her bathroom to find her shaking with fear at the realization that she had been poisoned. In her panic, she hadn't registered his words or the tone in which he had said them. She had been so relieved that he was there, that she didn't have to face her certain death alone… But now she remembered the urgency, the hurt in his voice. What could have upset him so?

'Idiot! You've been looking for an answer in the wrong place!' she scolded herself as she picked up her phone again.

Lucifer had been happy, happier than she'd ever seen him before, when they had said goodbye on the Pasadena campus. He had agreed to pick her up from her place later as Trixie was staying with Dan that night so that they could finally go on a proper date together and he had given her a shy smile when she pulled him back into another kiss the moment he turned to leave. And less than two hours later he had been devastated by something that he thought she had had some part in.

Where had he gone in the meantime? And what had changed such a mood swing?

Within less than half an hour, Chloe had the GPS data she needed: the place he had gone before coming to her house.

It was not quite 11am when Chloe pulled up outside the shabby looking bar. 'Hm, not Lucifer's favourite place' she thought to herself. She had to wait about ten minutes before a woman in her fifties with pink hair opened up and had to wait a few seconds before her eyes adjusted to the lack of light inside. What had Lucifer wanted here?

She asked the woman behind the bar about Lucifer as someone as well turned out as him would probably turn a few heads but she hadn't been working that night. And she didn't know who had worked that night. The owner usually came in after 2pm so she would have to wait for him to get that information.

Chloe was on her way out of the bar - she was certainly not going to spend three hours waiting for the owner in there - when she noticed the pictures on the wall. Most of them were fifteen years old or even older, judging from the fashion depicted. And it looked like this place had once been quite trendy as Chloe recognized some major TV stars from her childhood and adolescence and a few minor cinema stars, as well. And then she recognized her mother. Her mother's blond-reddish hair, to be exact.

'What a coincidence' she thought, smiling to herself. As she took one more step to see the picture better the smile on her face disappeared in an instant. That black man sitting opposite her mother… He looked a lot like… No, he looked exactly like… It had to be! But it couldn't be!

Chloe turned to see where the bar tender had gone but she had disappeared into the back room. Without a further thought, Chloe grabbed the picture and stormed out into the bright sunlight.

She sat in her car, stunned, the photo trembling in her hand. The man sitting opposite her mother looked like Amenadiel. And he looked exactly the same now as he had done 35 years ago. How was that possible?

'You know exactly how that is possible' a voice whispered in Chloe's head. 'You know because Lucifer has been telling you the truth from the start. You stubborn idiot. No wonder he doesn't trust you to understand what's going on in his life. No wonder he left.'

"Detective mode, detective mode' she mumbled to herself as she fumbled for her phone.

'Hi, Laura. Yes, it's me again. Just one more question: were there any calls or texts to that number I had you investigate on the night in question?'

The few moments until Laura had the information seemed like an eternity to Chloe.

'OK, give me the number…. Hm, ok…. Ok'

Chloe stopped taking notes halfway through the phone number. She knew the number all to well.

She thanked Laura and let her head sink onto the steering wheel. It looked like she had to have a serious word with her roommate. Who apparently had not been kidding when she had said to her that she had been forged in the depths of hell to serve her master for all eternity.

'It's gonna be one hell of an interesting talk' Chloe thought as she started the engine, her hands still trembling with the monumental size of the revelation she had just experience. Then she started chuckling at her wording: hell, indeed!


	2. Chapter 2

Dan had agreed to take Trixie over the weekend without asking any questions. Maze was getting ready to go out but she was unaware that Chloe had other plans for her. It had been hard for Chloe not to confront Maze straight away but she needed to get both Amenadiel and Maze in one room without them suspecting that she knew, or rather finally believed the truth that Lucifer had tried to make her see from the very start. Amenadiel would show up in about twenty minutes or so and Chloe was sitting on the sofa, nervously tapping her fingers on her knees, wondering what she should do to dissuade Maze from leaving before Amenadiel arrived.

She had spent the last two days and a half reading up on the Bible and the history of the Devil. She had replayed in her mind everything Lucifer had ever said to her about his family and about his fall. She finally understood why he had often seemed paranoid, why he believed everyone was out to get him and why he was unable to trust any one person completely. At the same time, from quite early on in their relationship, he had tried to make her see, to make her understand. He had wanted to trust her. She finally understood how her refusal to acknowledge the existence of the divine had frustrated him. Why had she not tested his blood? Why had she not asked him, pushed him to show her his other face, the one she had caught a brief glance of the night she had shot him in the leg? Now that she finally had made the leap of faith, she berated her past self for not being more daring in her dealing with him. Because it hadn't been about her just needing the eggs in a long time, to be honest.

She now understood the look of utter confusion when she had shot him and he had bled - for the first time ever, it would appear. And how he had tried to keep his distance for a few weeks when he found out that she was causing his vulnerability. Everything he had done, or failed to do, suddenly appeared in a new light. The monumentality of the truth still took Chloe's breath away now - God did exist and so did the Devil - but then all she needed to calm herself down again was to bring to the forefront of her mind those precious memories of Lucifer's caring gaze, his honest smile (the one he reserved mostly for her), his arms wrapped around her, his lips on hers, and she felt how truly unique their bond was. She believed, now more than ever, that he was not evil. He was put in an impossible position by his father, to be the punisher of all evil humanity was capable of, for all eternity. The realization that Lucifer had been stuck in Hell for thousands of years, forced to punish evil against his will, with no chance of redemption or one of his siblings relieving him of his unwanted duties for a few centuries now and then made her so, so angry. No wonder he had displayed such hunger for life when he had arrived on earth. He was willing to try each food, each drink, each new sensation. His excesses with alcohol and women (and men!) now appeared in a completely new light, and his ability to still care after all that he had been through and all the evil that he had encountered made her feelings for him deepen every single time she thought about him. Which was pretty much constantly. She needed to see him again, to tell him that she finally believed him and that she wanted to be with him. But first she needed to find out why exactly he had left. She knew it had something to do with Amenadiel and her mother but she wasn't sure what their relationship had been. 'I just hope he isn't my real dad' Chloe thought to herself as she got up to answer the door.

Amenadiel was looking dishevelled. He hadn't shaved in days, probably since Lucifer had left, and his T-shirt had stains on it. Still, he smiled at Chloe as she gestured that he should come into the apartment.

'How are you doing, Chloe?' Amenadiel asked and Chloe thought there was real concern in his voice.

'OK, how are you holding up?' she answered, trying to keep her voice steady.

Maze had heard the bell, as well, and was coming down the stairs at that moment. She was clearly surprised to see Amenadiel but didn't say anything.

'Can I talk to the two of you, please?' Chloe asked as she sat down in the armchair opposite the sofa. Amenadiel and Maze exchanged a glance that she couldn't read but they did as she asked.

'So what can we do for you, Chlo?' Maze asked. She had started using her nickname around three weeks ago.

'Well, I'd like to know what you said to Lucifer when you met him at McGrath's Bar ten days ago.'

Maze stared at her open-mouthed.

'I… I' she said but Chloe didn't wait for her answer.

'And I'd like to know why you came to see my mother all those years ago!' Chloe said to Amenadiel, taking the picture out of the back pocket of her jeans and handing it to him.

He took it -were his hands shaking ever so slightly?- and sighed, letting himself fall back into the back of the sofa. He closed his eyes for a few seconds.

'Chloe, that's not me. It looks a lot like me but perhaps it's my father?' he attempted.

'Your father like in God, the Lord creator of all things?' Chloe snapped at him. A small giggle escaped from Maze's mouth and Chloe turned to her, staring her down.

'You think this is funny? These past ten days you've acted like my friend, telling me you didn't know where Lucifer is or why he's left and all the while you knew exactly why he's gone!'

Maze's face fell. She opened her mouth and Chloe felt that she was going to tell her the truth.

Amenadiel grabbed Maze's arm in a tight grip and whispered her name in a menacing tone.

'Let go of my arm, Amenadiel! Or I swear I'll rip it off!' Maze growled. 'She's figured it out for herself anyway - finally, if you don't mind me saying so' she continued as she turned to face Chloe directly.

'Yes, I know it took me all this time to accept the truth. And it was staring me in the face all this time. But I need to know what happened that night. Lucifer came here and he was so upset, asking me whether I had known all this time… What did he mean?'

Maze got off the sofa and knelt in front of Chloe, grabbing her hand: 'He had just found out that 35 years ago, Amenadiel was sent down here to bless your parents. You know, they couldn't have children but after the blessing, they had you…'

Chloe stared at her roommate in disbelief. She was the result of a… miracle intervention by divine powers? A memory of Lucifer in the hospital hit her hard. 'How do I look?' she had asked him and he had smiled a sad smile and had said 'Heaven-sent!'

'Oh no!' Chloe whispered as a thought formed in her head.

'And Lucifer left because I'm the result of God's intervention? Because… because he thinks that my feelings of him are caused by me being this miracle child and not my own?'

Tears welled up as Chloe forced herself to say it out loud.

'Yes, that's pretty much it' Maze said, squeezing her hands even tighter.

'But is that possible? I'm sure there must be other blessed children out there? What about Abraham and Sarah in the Old Testament? Who blessed them with children?'

'Not me' Amenadiel said and he looked surprised at the fact that he had actually answered Chloe and therefore confirmed that there were angels, demons, God and the Devil.

'Well, perhaps you could find out who of your siblings is usually in charge of blessings? And why your father chose you in my case?' Chloe suggested.

'I can't, father and my siblings won't speak to me.' Amenadiel said sadly and Chloe felt sorry for him but now was not the time to deal with his issues. Maze saw the sadness on Amenadiel's face, too, and moved back onto the sofa to sit next to him.

'So… Lucifer thinks what? That God put me on this planet in order to use me against him?' Chloe asked.

'See' Maze said, hitting Amenadiel in the arm. 'She knows Lucifer so well, probably better than any of us!'

'Probably. But I don't know where he is. He wouldn't tell me' Maze replied to her friend 'Especially after I agreed to let his mother tell him about Amenadiel's blessing.'

'His… mother?' Chloe gasped. Her head started spinning. His mother. Then she hit her forehead with her flat hand.

'Charlotte Richards, of course!' she exclaimed, chuckling at her own stupidity.

Maze took of her high heels and got up. 'I'm getting a bottle of vodka. It' gonna be a long night.'


	3. Chapter 3

It was a long night indeed. An insightful night for Chloe that caused her to smile several times but also to burst into tears a few times when she found out just how much Lucifer had sacrificed for her.

He had made a deal with God to spare her life as he was bleeding out in the hangar after Malcolm had shot him, a deal that would have sent him back to Hell for all eternity had it not been for his mother escaping her cell and materializing in a human body on earth. The rational part of her brain still struggled to process the fact that who someone who had just bled out could come back to life - but he clearly had and he had never boasted about saving her. And now that she knew that Lucifer's mother had taken over the body of freshly murdered Charlotte Richards she finally understood his horror at her suggestion that he and Charlotte had slept together. She had to smile at those memories through her tears and for a second, Amenadiel was worried that all the information they were giving her about celestial beings was actually messing with her sanity.

He whispered as much into Maze's ear but she only shot him a disdainful look. 'You don't know Chloe the way I do' she said, loud enough for Chloe to hear and then asked her friend why she had smiled.

When Chloe explained why she had smiled, Maze started chuckling and drew Chloe's attention to Amenadiel who -sure enough- had disgust written all over his face just as Lucifer had those few times she had brought up Charlotte.

The lightness in the air disappeared again as Chloe started asking about how Lucifer had managed to save her from dying a horrible death from poisoning only two weeks or so earlier.

Amenadiel and Maze told her how he had asked them to stop his heart so he could retrieve the formula of the antidote from the professor and how he nearly had not made it back. It all seemed so clear now: the professor had told them that the formula only existed in his head and where else could Lucifer have got it from? He had even joked about his death when he had said 'You didn't die after all. That makes one of us.' How had she been able to ignore all of the signs? Lucifer hadn't lied to her once and how had she repaid him? By doubting him, sometimes even mocking him. Still, she also knew that he had never really had a true friend, someone who cared to spend time with him when he was down - at least she had done that for him on a few occasions.

They had been talking several hours about what had really been going on behind the scenes, so to speak, and Maze was still trying to get Chloe to drink vodka with them. Chloe, however, said that she needed a clear head to process all this information and that she didn't want alcohol to buffer the intensity of her emotional reactions to whatever they had to tell her.

Maze and Amenadiel had answered Chloe's many questions quite willingly but when she asked them what sort of event had driven Lucifer into a frightening self-destructing mode four months earlier, they exchanged a meaningful glance and didn't answer.

'What, guys? So it's OK to tell me how he died for me -TWICE- but now you won't tell me what happened to drive him to the brink of suicide? I didn't quite understand it back then but I know now more that Lucifer really wanted to be punished for something that day. And he didn't think I would understand. Ever. So it must have been something major, something that shook him to his very core! I just need to know, OK?'

Chloe pleaded with tearful eyes and while Amenadiel averted his gaze, Maze sighed and gave in.

'Chloe, before I tell you what happened I need you to know that he really didn't have a choice. And that he has felt guilty ever since. That's why he nearly didn't make it back from Hell with the formula.'

'You're scaring me, Maze. Just tell me, please' Chloe whispered.

It was Amenadiel who told her what had happened. He told her about how Uriel had come down to earth to blackmail Lucifer into sending his mother back to Hell unless he wanted Chloe to die.

So her car accident had been orchestrated. While Amenadiel explained about Uriel's ability to see patterns and use them to his advantage, Chloe couldn't help but berate herself. Again, she had dismissed Lucifer's concern for her in those days as signs of his (endearing) paranoia and had not taken him seriously. What was wrong with her? The rational part of her brain, however, told herself not to be too harsh on herself. How could an atheist like herself believe in angels? And in angels plotting to kill humans, nonetheless. She would have to ask about fate and free will and all of that later. At the moment, though, she needed to know about Uriel. Lucifer had never mentioned his name to her, even once. And that was not a good sign.

'But your mother is still here on earth and I'm still alive' Chloe said to Amenadiel as a sinking feeling, a premonition, settled in the pit of her stomach.

'Yes, indeed. Lucifer decided that he was not going to give either of you up so, in turn, Uriel was going to take you both: he was going to take mother back to Hell and he was going to take your life.' Amenadiel's voice was starting to get shakier with every sentence.

'So… Lucifer really didn't have a choice… he had to…' Amenadiel's voice trailed off.

'He killed his own brother?' Chloe knew the answer to her question but she needed to hear it anyway.

Amenadiel and Maze both had tears in their eyes as they nodded silently. Chloe started sobbing into her hands.

'An angel can hurt another angel' she whispered as she remembered Lucifer's words at the devil worshipping mansion, the day he had asked to see her back to check that she didn't have scars from cutting her angel wings off. 'Detective mode, detective mode' she thought to herself and that helped.

'And what happens when an angel kills another angel? Where does he go?' Chloe asked, slowly managing to keep her sobs under control.

'Well, Uriel had brought Azrael's blade with him - Azrael is the Angel of Death, our sister - and that is what Lucifer used to kill him. This particular weapon didn't just kill Uriel's body but destroyed his soul, as well. Annihilated him. No return to Heaven and not even Hell for him.' Maze explained.

Chloe could see that Amenadiel was still grieving the loss of his brother but she also noticed that he didn't seem to hold a grudge against Lucifer.

'I'm so sorry for your loss' she whispered as she regained some composure.

Amenadiel's head shot up in surprise and then he gave her a faint smile.

'I don't blame Lucifer, he was put in an impossible situation. I blame Father, though. He could have ended all this a long time ago if he simply stopped using us, his children, as pawns in some game, some master plan that he doesn't share with anyone…'

Amenadiel stopped abruptly and looked at Chloe with confusion.

'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to vent. You have enough to deal with as it is…' he apologized.

'No, Amenadiel. This is really helping me to understand your fucked up family. Excuse my French' Chloe replied, trying to smile at Amenadiel reassuringly.

'You can say that again! One fucked up family.' Maze repeated as she downed another shot of vodka. 'Are you sure you don't want one now?' she asked Chloe.

'No, thank you. I think I have enough to digest as it is. Do you guys mind if we call it a night? I think I need some time to think about everything I've learned tonight. And can we perhaps talk some more tomorrow? Amenadiel, I have lots of questions about fate and free will so perhaps you can help me out in that area? And do you think Linda would be OK to talk to me, too, Maze? She knows, right?'

Maze took her friend into her arms and squeezed her tight. 'I'm sure Linda will be happy to talk to you, Chloe. And you're doing so well, taking all of this in - for a human and an atheist, that is!' Chloe just nodded into Maze's shoulder and suddenly felt exhausted.

She dragged herself up the stairs as Maze ushered Amenadiel out of the door.

'Thank you, guys, for tonight. It really means a lot to me' she called down.

'Go to bed, Decker!' Maze bellowed from below.

Yeah, Chloe thought, like Lucifer is not going to be in every single minute of my dreams.


	4. Chapter 4

Surprisingly enough, Chloe had had quite a good night's sleep. She had struggled to fall asleep, her mind still reeling from everything Maze and Amenadiel had told her. But at some point, she must have fallen asleep and while she remembered Lucifer being in her dreams, they had not been nightmares and had not woken her.

When Chloe finally opened her eyes, she could hear voices downstairs. Two female voices. So Linda was already here to talk to her. Maze was really proving to be a reliable friend.

Chloe decided to have a quick shower before joining 'her tribe' and tried to order her feelings in preparation for her talk with Linda. The idea of talking to a shrink made her nervous, all of a sudden and she realized that it was because she felt that whatever she would discuss with Linda later felt like a betrayal of Lucifer. Especially after what she had learned the night before, she felt even more fiercely loyal to him. She missed him so much and wished for nothing more than for him to come back. But she also knew that unless she found a way to convince him that her feelings for him were real and not orchestrated, they were doomed to be apart. But in order to convince Lucifer, she first needed to find out from Amenadiel whether her being a blessed miracle child actually gave her free will when it came to Lucifer or not. She believed she did have free will in all of her decisions but the magnitude of the recent epiphanies in her life did of course cause doubt, too. But Amenadiel had to wait. Now she needed to talk to Linda.

Chloe dried herself off quickly and slid into some comfy clothes before making her way downstairs.

Linda and Maze were sitting at the kitchen island sipping coffee and Maze started pouring Chloe a cup as she saw her coming down the stairs.

Linda got up and gave her a big hug. 'Welcome to the 'Oh Gosh, the Devil really does exist' Club' she joked, gauging Chloe's face for a reaction.

Chloe couldn't help but chuckle. She took one sip of her coffee and nearly choked on it as a thought shot through her head.

'So both of you have slept with… the Devil… repeatedly' she said after her coughing fit had died down.

Linda blushed while Maze just coolly stared her in the eye and said 'Countless times, bitches, countless times.'

'This is just so weird' muttered Chloe. 'I mean, here I am sipping coffee with you guys and I should be really jealous of what you both have had with Lucifer but I'm not…'

'Well, the fact that he has NOT slept with you yet is why you don't have ANY reason to be jealous' Linda offered.

'I guess. It's just… I don't really know how to put this and I know that there is the whole patient-doctor confidentiality thing and I don't want you to break the trust that Lucifer has put in you but…' Chloe stalled.

'Go on' Linda encouraged her.

'Do you want me to leave?' Maze asked but Chloe shook her head.

'I just feel that he has done so much, sacrificed so much to keep me safe and… alive' she swallowed hard as she realized yet again how close to death she had come several times and that Trixie wouldn't have a mother right now if it hadn't been for Lucifer.

'I really didn't like Lucifer very much when I first met him, I thought he was arrogant and full of himself. It didn't take me long, however, to see more in him. And although I didn't admit it for a long time, I started caring for him quite deeply soon. And finally, a few weeks ago, we both were in a place where we let our feelings for each other shine through more and more. I don't know… A part of me is really scared that I'll never see him again and that he'll believe his mother's theory that everything between us was fake, orchestrated by his father. I don't think it is, I don't think it can be. I mean, how can all of my life, everything I went through, good and bad, having my daughter, how can all of that have been not my own choice? Just a preparation for some divine plan to mess with the fallen angel's mind?'

'And to break his heart' Maze chimed in but Linda shot her a glance which made her mumble 'sorry'.

'I have to say, Chloe' Linda said when she realized that Chloe was not going to continue straight away. 'You really are taking all of this extremely well. I mean, how long have you known? Or rather, believed that Lucifer was telling you the truth all along?

'Since Wednesday, about 11.10 in the morning. So that's nearly 72 hours now, plenty of time, right?' Chloe attempted a joke.

'And how do you feel about the truth?' Linda asked.

'I know it'll sound weird but I'm actually relieved. I mean, part of me still struggles to believe that it is all true, Heaven and Hell, God and the Devil, angles and demons' Chloe turned her face towards Maze as she said the last word. Maze just winked at her and Chloe rolled her eyes at her.

'I'm relieved. Because deep down I knew that Lucifer was not delusional or just hiding behind a persona. And I'm also annoyed at myself for taking so long to get to the point where I was ready, or forced, to accept the truth. I mean, I even saw a reflection of Lucifer's other face once and for a moment I believed him. That's why I shot him when he asked me to. He wanted to prove to me that he was being honest. But when he started bleeding, I convinced myself that it had been a trick my mind had played on me so ever since I resisted. I resisted believing and I decided not to test his blood and not to ask how he could have survived when Malcolm shot him. So I also feel guilty for not having believed Lucifer sooner.' said Chloe and then looked up to see both Linda and Maze staring at her.

'You saw Lucifer's devil form?' Maze looked stunned.

'And why did you call that his 'other' face and not his true face?' Linda added.

Chloe decided to answer Maze first. 'Well, just a glimpse of it. His skin was turning back to normal from bright red and his eyes were a pool of fire. But it was only a split second.'

'I have to think about your question a bit' she said to Linda who replied that she should take all the time she needed. After a few minutes' silence (apart from Maze's loud chewing of gum), Chloe felt she had an adequate answer to Linda's question.

'Yes, his other face. I don't think that's his real face. That face, the other face, is the face of the Lord of Hell, the punisher forced into that situation by his father. But there is so much more to Lucifer than that particular role so I don't see the red skin and fiery eyes as his true self.'

Maze whispered an audible 'Wow' and Linda turned to tell her that next time she'd intervene she'd be sent out of the room. Maze just stuck her tongue out at Linda and said: 'Well, forgive me for being impressed with her. And to think I nearly snuffed out her light when I first realized that she made Lucifer vulnerable.'

This clearly was new information for Linda who nearly fell of her stool. Chloe simply chuckled when she realized that Lucifer was not the only one prone to telling the truth, even when it sounded outrageous.

'And I thought you were only joking when you told me that' she said to Maze, playfully flicking her arm. 'That'll teach me!'

Linda turned to Chloe after rearranging her face into what she hoped looked like a professional expression.

'Well, it took me a lot longer to accept what you have just said in a beautiful and touching way. Let's just hope you get the chance to tell Lucifer, too' she said, grabbing Chloe's hands between hers.

She saw a shadow cross Chloe's face and gently urged her to tell her more.

After some pondering, Chloe said: 'Well, we haven't even had a proper date yet and suddenly I have to deal with the enormity of this epiphany I've just had. We were finally getting somewhere and then I get poisoned and then I find out that he went to Hell to get the antidote, that he's been doing these amazing things for me all this time. And I think: wow, we just had our first kiss and are just figuring out how to be more than partners and friends and now, the scale of his actions and his feelings just scare me. Don't get me wrong, I know I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him and Lucifer disappearing like that made me realize how much he means to me but… but…. how do I prove myself to Lucifer after everything he's done for me? I mean, all this time all he had to do to make me believe him was to show me his other face. But he didn't trust me enough to do that… but on the other hand he risked so much, he will forever feel guilty for Uriel, and in his case it really is forever! So I just don't know how to make it up to him, you know?

Linda had been nodding while Chloe poured out her heart.

'I think you have to accept that in this particular relationship, things will be different. You will have to have your first meal out together after you deal with some pretty big issues. And I don't think Lucifer expects you to repay him in kind for anything he's done for you. You have already done so much for him, Chloe.'

Linda saw Chloe shaking her head so she continued:' Yes! When you two first met, Lucifer was unable to trust anyone; he didn't believe that he could do good and he thought nobody would ever truly be interested in what he had to say or what he felt. And you changed all that: he trusts you a lot. More than anyone else in his life, I think. But yes, you are right. He could have shown you but he was scared of how you might react…'

At that, Chloe's head shot up.

'Yes, the thought of you rejecting him definitely played a part in his decision not to show you. And subconsciously, I think he knew that if you were to find out about his actions, all he's done for you, you might also run scared. Because he thinks that you don't care as much about him as he does about you. And ultimately, I think his intense feelings for you scare him, too.' Linda paused, waiting for a reaction from Chloe.

'Well' Chloe answered after a while, trying on a smile 'I don't feel like running away from him, from this -however enormous the implications- now that I don't know if and when I'll see him again. So I doubt that the moment I see him in the flesh I will suddenly have a change of heart.'

'Glad to hear it, sister' Maze exclaimed. 'Or I would have to kill you in your sleep, after all!'

Linda was about to make good on her previous threat when Chloe said she really needed fresh air and would they please go for a walk and perhaps lunch with her? Maze and Linda agreed instantly.

As the three friends -because that's what they had become over time, friends- left the apartment, Chloe felt slightly guilty. She should really contact Amenadiel and find out more about blessed children like herself but she felt that she needed time to let what she had found out sit for a few hours at least. Her brain and her heart were only human, after all, and felt like they might burst with all the bits of new information and new sensations of the last few days and weeks.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the long silence. Life just kept getting in the way of writing new chapters. Now, with only hours to go until 'Lucifer' returns onto our screens, I've finally found a bit of time to progress this. Hope you like it. I know that Lucifer will show up with a wife in tonight's episode but I really want our two babies to get back together without another woman getting involved in my story so no Candy.**

Dan gave Chloe a quick hug after closing the rear door to his car. Chloe blew another kiss at her daughter and whispered 'Thank you again!' in Dan's direction. As she watched them drive off, she couldn't help but feel grateful. Dan had really been incredibly helpful these past two months ever since she'd been released from hospital. He had asked a few questions about Lucifer's disappearance but when she had told him that he had gone away due to a family emergency but that she didn't feel like sharing more details with him, Dan hadn't insisted and agreed to take Trixie as often as he could so that she could join Lucifer whenever possible. That is how he had phrased it and in the current situation Chloe had thought it best not to complicate matters and had not corrected Dan's assumptions. But while Dan and Trixie thought that she was joining Lucifer over the weekend (this was the third time in six weeks that this charade took place) she would spend all of the weekend tucked away in Amenadiel's office trying to find clues regarding miracle children such as herself.

While Maze was out there using her tracking skills to find a trace of her former master, Amenadiel was helping Chloe with his books. So far, research in Amenadiel's eclectic book selection had allowed them to establish that at any time in human history several dozens if not hundreds of children were conceived due to divine intervention. Mostly, the angel Gabriel seemed to have been in charge of blessings. Very often, these children would grow up to work serving others, people with a highly developed social conscience and sense of justice. In short, they were people prone to doing good deeds, selfless 'to a nauseating degree' in Lucifer's words and -most probably- more resistant to the Devil's charms.

Amenadiel had been trying to contact his brother Gabriel but so far he had not been successful. Chloe still struggled with the concept of prayer but she had caught herself sending Gabriel messages in her head these past few weeks. As Chloe pulled up outside the building that housed both Linda's and Amenadiel's offices, she couldn't help but feel that this was all taking too long. They hadn't found a single trace of Lucifer, they hadn't found any other miracle children, they hadn't been able to reach Gabriel. Just then, Chloe saw the red convertible. 'Great, Mama Morningstar is here' she whispered to herself as she locked her car behind her. She had never really liked Charlotte and now that she knew that the Goddess of all Creation had taken over that human body, that she was in fact Lucifer's mother, she liked her even less. Still, she did seem truly worried about her son (too little, too late!) and had offered her help several times over the last two months.

Chloe knocked gently at Amenadiel's door. Rather than just telling her to come in, as he usually did, Amenadiel opened the door a few inches and looked out, suspicion writ large on his face.

'Oh, it's you!' he said as he grabbed Chloe by the arm and pulled her into the office, shutting the door behind him. Charlotte was sitting on the sofa, giving Chloe what felt like a fake smile.

'What's going on?' Chloe asked as she rubbed her upper arm. Amenadiel didn't usually touch her but she hadn't expected him to handle her so forcefully.

'Did I hurt you?' Amenadiel asked as he realized what she was doing.

'Well, you might have given me a bruise. What's wrong? Why are you so tense?' Chloe asked in return.

'Maze just called twenty minutes ago' Charlotte chipped it. Again, she didn't seem too happy about that.

'And?' Chloe tried not to sound too impatient.

'And she had a visit. An apparition from Gabriel just under an hour ago.' Amenadiel sounded worried.

Chloe's head started spinning and she sat down on the edge of the writing desk. Gabriel was on earth, he had talked to Maze. Perhaps they were getting somewhere!

'And what did Gabriel say?' Chloe asked, trying not to get her hopes up too much. There always seemed to be a hidden agenda where Lucifer's family was concerned.

'He gave Maze the address of another miracle child. She's supposed to get this person today and bring him to L.A. for 11 a.m. tomorrow. Gabriel said he would get Lucifer. But then he disappeared before Maze could ask any more questions.'

Lucifer. In L.A. Tomorrow at 11 a.m. Chloe took a deep breath, struggling to keep her emotions at bay.

'Isn't that a good thing? Gabriel can explain about miracle children like myself - that we have free will, right?' she managed to ask and she didn't care anymore that she sounded really needy.

'Well, child' Charlotte retorted, disdain clearly audible in her voice. 'If Gabriel is here to help us out, yes, that would be a very good thing indeed. But we don't know why he's here. He could be here to do his father's bidding and have very different plans for Lucifer. And for Amenadiel and myself, too. It's going to be a long, long night.'

Finally, something that Chloe and Charlotte could agree on: it was going to be a long, long sixteen hours until 11 a.m. the next morning.


	6. Chapter 6

Whenever Chloe turned her head to glance into the room, the hands on the clock in Lucifer's penthouse seemed to be covered in gooey honey as they seemed to move in slow motion. It was10.42am.

Chloe had been unable to eat dinner or breakfast and had spent the night first going through her notes on miracle children, the archangel Gabriel and free will in human beings and then uncovering all of the furniture in the penthouse and cleaning it from top to bottom. She had sent Amenadiel and Charlotte downstairs to the club as the tension emanating from them had simply been too much. When they had returned at 6.30 in the morning, Chloe had quickly driven home to jump in the shower and change. With trembling hand she had applied her make-up carefully, chuckling nervously at the realisation that she was trying to look the best for the Devil and one of his siblings, and Archangel, who might well have been sent down to earth to punish or even kill the aforementioned Devil. But then she remembered the tender kisses she had exchanged with Lucifer, his declaration at the beach, the genuine worry in his eyes when he had found out that she had been poisoned and then the fact that he was immortal and the Master of Hell no longer seemed to matter.

She'd been back at the penthouse before 9am and had spent most of the last 90 minutes out on the balcony, leaving the living room to the two celestial beings who were nervously pacing up and down.

Finally she heard the elevator ascending the floors and she quickly stepped into the room. 'It's Maze. Maze. Just Maze' a voice in her head said while her heart was longing for Lucifer to step through the door.

With a ding the elevator doors opened to reveal a tired looking Maze who shoved a man of medium build into the room. He had a linen bag tied over his head and stumbled along as Maze dragged him to the sofa where she barked 'Sit down' before giving Chloe a long hug and stomping off to the bar to pour herself a drink.

Chloe went up to the man and lifted the bag off his head. He blinked at the sudden light in his face and then turned to look at Chloe.

"Where am I? What's happening?' he asked as he tried to get up.

'It's OK. Sorry for the way in which you've been brought here' Chloe said and, noticing the man's dry lips, then asked 'Would you like a glass of water?'

Something in her voice must have calmed him as he sat back down again and nodded.

As Chloe walked towards the kitchen to get said glass of water she felt a weird warmth behind her. She turned to see where that warmth came from and then, suddenly, all she could see was grey mist surrounding her. She felt strangely calm and didn't struggle. She knew that Lucifer was close by, probably in the same room and she thought she could hear his voice. Angry and confused at first and then full of warmth and worry as it seemed to get closer to her. Then his voice became more distant again and less frequent. He must be listening to what Gabriel and Amenadiel had to say, then another question (Chloe couldn't understand the words coming out of his mouth but from the tone of his voice she inferred that it was a question) followed a long silence. How long had she been immobilized for? Ten minutes? Two hours? And then she could feel him right next to her. She couldn't move, couldn't see him and could not hear him, properly hear him but she felt him close by with every fibre of her body. She wanted to touch him so badly, to see his brown eyes, the cheeky smile on his face, smell his distinctive aroma. How long would this trance last? When would Gabriel leave - because it must be his doing, this trance of hers. And then she suddenly felt panic as a realization hit her: what if Gabriel took Lucifer away from her before she could lay eyes on him at least once more? She felt like shouting, tried desperately to move but was unable to do either. All she could do was endure this state of nothingness for however long Gabriel saw fit.

And then, all of a sudden, she felt different. For starters, she was no longer standing up. She was lying down, feeling her entire weight pressing into what must be Lucifer's sofa. But she wasn't able to hear anything. And she felt really nauseous so kept her eyes firmly shut. Fighting the need to throw up, she reminded herself of some mindfulness exercises she had read about in one of her mother's books. She decided to focus on the different parts of her body: starting with her feet, moving up towards her knees and her hips. Her stomach (quickly skip over that mess!) and up onto her chest. Her left arm and her right arm. Somebody was holding her right arm… and stroking her head. No, not somebody… Lucifer!

The realization made Chloe smile through her nausea and all of a sudden her hearing seemed to have returned as she clearly heard a loud sigh coming from no one but Lucifer himself!

'Lucifer?' she whispered, still not sure she could handle a spinning room if she opened her eyes.

'Yes, Chloe, I'm here.' His voice was shaky but it was definitely him. 'How are you feeling?'

'Hm, like Gabriel put me in a washing machine on the maximum spinning cycle' she managed to say before a wave of nausea nearly made her gag. Great, Decker, she berated herself, throw up in your man's face - that'll make for an unforgettable reunion!

'I think I need some air' Chloe managed to say after a few deep breaths.

"OK, love.' With that, Lucifer swept her up into his arms gently and slowly walked out onto the balcony. Lucifer was about to lower her onto a deckchair but she held on as tightly as she could and shook her head. So he decided to sit down himself with Chloe cradled in his arms. She buried her head into his chest and inhaled deeply. She didn't know whether it was the fresh air or the distinctive smell of Lucifer that made her feel instantly better.

After a minute or two, she felt well enough to open her eyes and since the world did not spin like mad any longer she slowly tilted her head back so that she could finally see Lucifer's face.

He had felt her movements and had positioned his arm in a different way so she could rest the back of her head on it. Chloe's eyes found his and the tenderness in them made her sigh.

'Hi!' she managed to say, a tentative smile on her lips. 'Where is everyone else? How did the talk with Gabriel go?'

Lucifer let out a chuckle. 'They all left. Gabriel took Michael, the other 'miracle child' , back home - he won't remember anything that happened to him. The talk with Gabriel went well - he apologizes for stunning you but he thinks you know enough members of the celestial family already… He explained that every single human being has free will so I feel like a right idiot now for believing my mother's theory.' He swallowed and then said: 'I'm sorry, Chloe. I'm sorry for disappearing… I just couldn't handle…'

Chloe lifted her index finger and shushed him. She sat up and took his head between her hands. His surprise at this made her smile ever so slightly.

'No need to apologize, Lucifer. I understand why you did what you did. And I'm sorry it took me so long to get it. If I'd been less stubborn and had accepted what you were telling me all along as the truth, perhaps we could have gone through this together…'

Lucifer leaned into her until their foreheads touched and whispered: 'You are truly amazing, Chloe Decker. I don't know what I've done to deserve you!'

"Well, you've died for me twice already so that must count for something!' Chloe joked and then pulled him in for a long, tender kiss.

'But you still owe me a proper date, Mr Morningstar' Chloe whispered as she drew back after a while.

"Duly noted, my love' mumbled Lucifer, his lips already back on Chloe's. 'Duly noted.'


End file.
